Adjacent Words

Clarify definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CLARIFY, v.t.
1. To make clear; to purify from feculent matter; to defecate; to fine; applied particularly to liquors; as, to clarify wine, or syrup.
2. To make clear; to brighten or illuminate; applied to the mind or reason.
CLARIFY, v.i.
1. To clear up; to grow clear or bright.
His understanding clarifies, in discoursing with another.
2. To grow or become clear or fine; to become pure, as liquors. Cider clarifies by fermentation.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make clear and (more) comprehensible; "clarify the mystery surrounding her death" [syn: clarify, clear up, elucidate] [ant: obfuscate]
2: make clear by removing impurities or solids, as by heating; "clarify the butter"; "clarify beer"

Merriam Webster's

verb (-fied; -fying) Etymology: Middle English clarifien, from Anglo-French clarifier, from Late Latin clarificare, from Latin clarus clear — more at clear Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to make (as a liquid) clear or pure usually by freeing from suspended matter 2. to free of confusion <needs time to clarify his thoughts> 3. to make understandable <clarify a subject> intransitive verb to become clear • clarification noun • clarifier noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. (-ies, -ied) 1 tr. & intr. make or become clearer. 2 tr. a free (liquid, butter, etc.) from impurities. b make transparent. c purify. Derivatives: clarification n. clarificatory n. clarifier n. Etymology: ME f. OF clarifier f. L clarus clear

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clarify Clar"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Clarified; p. pr. & vb. n. Clarifying.] [F. clarifier, from L. clarificare; clarus clear + facere to make. See Clear, and Fact.] 1. To make clear or bright by freeing from feculent matter; to defecate; to fine; -- said of liquids, as wine or sirup. ``Boiled and clarified.'' --Ure. 2. To make clear; to free from obscurities; to brighten or illuminate. To clarify his reason, and to rectify his will. --South. 3. To glorify. [Obs.] Fadir, clarifie thi name. --Wyclif (John ii. 28).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Clarify Clar"i*fy, v. i. 1. To grow or become clear or transparent; to become free from feculent impurities, as wine or other liquid under clarification. 2. To grow clear or bright; to clear up. Whosoever hath his mind fraught with many thoughts, his wits and understanding do clarify and break up in the discoursing with another. --Bacon.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(clarifies, clarifying, clarified) To clarify something means to make it easier to understand, usually by explaining it in more detail. (FORMAL) A bank spokesman was unable to clarify the situation. VERB: V n • clarification (clarifications) The union has written to Zurich asking for clarification of the situation. N-VAR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Purify, clear, make clear, strain.

Moby Thesaurus

account for, allegorize, analyze, bolt, break down, clean, cleanse, clear, clear up, crack, decipher, decrassify, define, delineate, demonstrate, demythologize, depurate, disembroil, disentangle, disintricate, disinvolve, distill, edulcorate, elucidate, elute, enlighten, essentialize, euhemerize, exemplify, explain, explain away, explicate, exposit, expound, extract, filter, filtrate, formulate, get across, get over, give reason for, give the meaning, illuminate, illustrate, leach, lixiviate, make clear, make it clear, make plain, percolate, popularize, purify, put across, put over, rationalize, ravel, rectify, refine, screen, separate, shed light upon, show, show how, show the way, sieve, sift, simplify, solve, sort out, spell out, spiritualize, straighten out, strain, sublimate, sublime, throw light upon, try, unbraid, unclutter, uncoil, unfold, unknot, unlock, unmix, unravel, unscramble, unsnarl, untangle, unthread, untwine, untwist, unweave, unwind, vulgarize, winnow